I’ve owned an Airedale terrier almost every year since I was born, and I know that they have a lot going for them. I wrote the following article to teach you everything you need to know about them.

So, what’s good about an Airedale? Some of the main pluses of the Airedale breed include:

Playfulness: These dogs love to romp, especially with their family
Intelligence: There’s almost nothing that an Airedale won’t be able to learn
Hypoallergenic hair: Airedales are less irritating for people who are sensitive towards dogs.

Although I’m obviously biased, I firmly believe that Airedales are one of the best dog breeds out there. Although they don’t have the popularity of some of the more common types like poodles or German shepherds these are incredibly loyal and friendly dogs who will make a good lifelong companion. Their intelligence means that Airedales can perform almost any task, from utility to hunting, while their good-natured spirit means they’ll love spending time with their family.

What’s Good About an Airedale?

I’ve broken it down in more detail below, but here’s a list of some of the best features of the Airedale terrier:

Personality: A playful, high-energy puppy that matures into a very dignified adult, Airedales stay young at heart while maintaining a proud façade.
Intelligence: Though they sometimes don’t seem it because of their stubborn nature, Airedales are incredibly smart, and they can learn almost any task. Whether you want them to help you hunt or just want a dog who listens well, this breed will be able to learn and perform anything you ask of them.
Loyalty: Airedales are quick to learn who’s in their family, and they shower them with love. These dogs can remember you for years and will always be excited to see you; nothing brightens my spirits more than coming home as seeing how happy my Airedale is.
Good Looks: Again, this is a matter of personal preference, but I think that Airedales are very handsome dogs. They also manage to do so while staying relatively low maintenance in terms of grooming requirements.
Hypoallergenic skin: Airedales shed very little, and their wiry coat keeps down the amount of dander that they spread. This lowers the reaction they can cause in people with allergies.
Independence: Airedales like having their own space, and they’re not a dog that requires constant attention or coddling.
Good guard instincts: Though not recognized as a top guard dog, Airedales are certainly a protective breed, and they have the size to back up their intent.

Personality

With the quick hits out of the way, let’s talk a little more about what makes the Airedale loved by so many. First and foremost (as with many dogs) is their personality. This is a matter of fit, although I think that most people would find the Airedale a pretty agreeable companion.

This breed toes the line between seriousness and playfulness more so than any other I’ve met. As a puppy, Airedales are fast-growing balls of energy; they love to explore, play, fight, and do anything else to get their energy out. They’re also very inquisitive, and often the only way to keep them entertained is to find a way to challenge them.

As the get older, the Airedales develop into a much more poised creature. They carry themselves with a quiet sort of dignity, although they never really lose that heart of playfulness. With their family, they’re incredibly loving and will dote on everyone; they tend to not pick favourites. With strangers, Airedales will often treat them with a professional courtesy until they get to know them better.

Even once they grow up and have develop better manners, Airedales are incredibly high-energy dogs. One of the challenges of owning this breed is that you need to constantly be finding new ways to entertain them. Raised for hunting, Airedales hate repetitive tasks, and they’re not the time of dog that likes to burn energy pointlessly. You can’t just let your Airedale outside and expect them to run in circles to entertain themselves; they require a mental challenge as well as a physical one.

Airedales are rarely aggressive, but they also never back down from a fight. They operate under a very ‘I’ll treat you in the same way that you treat me’ type of mentality, and they don’t mind having to stand up for themselves.

As long as other dogs treat them nicely, though, Airedales are incredibly social and playful. They can romp for hours, and they’re always happy to play fight with either canine or human friends.

Some of the other personality traits that define the Airedale would include:

Wanderlust: These dogs are incredibly adventurous. They love discovering new places and learning new things. Prepare for your Airedale to go bonkers when you load them into the car, because they’re always convinced that they’re going somewhere exciting.
Loyalty: As I said above, Airedales know the difference between their family members and everyone else. Although they don’t mind meeting strangers, there’s no one they would rather spend time with that you.
Playfulness: Airedales rejoice when they get to play. Especially with the males, expect a fair bit of roughhousing with your dog.
Courage: Raised to hunt bears and flush prey from their dens in rural England, there’s very little that can scare an Airedale.

Now, obviously, each of these personality traits has a bit of a downside — such as the playfulness requiring you to keep your dog occupied, and the wanderlust leading to them sometimes wandering off — but that can be said for any dog. When it comes down to it, Airedales are incredibly good companions.

Intelligence

Aside from being cheerful and loving, Airedales are incredibly smart. Whether you’re looking for a utility dog, or you just want to be able to teach them tricks, the Airedale should be able to learn almost anything you ask about them.

In the past, Airedales were used for a variety of different jobs, from wartime messengers to hunting retrieval dogs. They were often required to work independently and think for themselves, and these traits have stuck with the breed until this day.

For the rest of us who just want a companion, Airedales can learn a variety of different tricks, and can be taught to behave very well in public. My Airedale Theo almost always comes when called in the dog park, and he learned the standard slew of tricks — sit, stay, rollover, etc — in a matter of hours. Airedales are also very quick to house train themselves, often becoming ‘dry’ in a week.

However, you do have to know how to train them, as these dogs can sometimes be too smart for their own good. Using positive reinforcement, along with engaging training strategies that keep your Airedale entertained, is the way to go; these dogs don’t do well with monotony.

Because of their intelligence, Airedales are still used today in a few utility rolls. Mostly this involves hunting, where the Airedale is renowned for their ability to do a broad range of tasks. Whether it’s flushing prey out of cover, retrieving prey once they’ve been shot, or chasing animals down until they tree themselves, these dogs can learn it and perform it as well as any other breed out there.

Looks

Not only are Airedales very handsome dogs, with their black-and-tan pattern, big smiles, and cute faces, but they also have a very distinctive look. More than once on a walk or in the dog park, I’ve been stopped by people who recognize the Airedale breed. Often, these people will have an Airedale that they knew somewhere — their parent’s, or their neighbours, or their own — who they loved.

Airedales can also look very different depending on how you cut them, and you can tailor their grooming to your own personal preference. If you prefer them well-trimmed, it’s okay to cut their hair a little shorter, as this can open up their face and given them a sleek look. If you prefer the shaggy, overgrown look, Airedale’s tightly wound coat suits itself well for this, and they can look very fluffy and cute.

Maintenance

Whichever way you decide to groom your Airedale, you won’t need to put a lot of effort into keeping them that way. Airedale’s aren’t a super high-maintenance breed in terms of the grooming they require. If you get an Airedale, you can expect to have to:

Brush them for about 10 minutes every week, especially if their hair is longer. This helps minimize their shedding and prevents their skin from getting irritated.
Cut their nails once every month, which takes about ten minutes (as long as your Airedale is well behaved).
Trim them every 2-4 months, depending on the climate you’re in and how you like their hair to be styled.

Out of all of these, bathing is the x-factor. Airedales enjoy digging, swimming, and playing, and they don’t often care if it gets them dirty. Especially during the spring when there’s lots of mud around, you might have to be prepared to bathe your Airedale frequently.

Hypoallergenic

Another great thing about Airedales is that they’re hypoallergenic, meaning they cause lower levels of reaction in people who are sensitive to dogs. However, it should be noted that this does not mean they cause no reaction.

Allergic reactions to dogs happen when you come into contact with the protein that they produce in their skin and hair. This protein is spread in three ways:

Dander, or dead skin cells, which stick to you when you pet the dog and can also be released into the air.
Drool from the dog
Shedding, which leaves pieces of hair lying around that can basically get everywhere in your house.

Airedales have hair, not fur, which means the produce less dander than most other dog breeds. This leads to less protein floating around the house and, therefore, less of a reaction. Similarly, as a dignified breed, Airedales tend to not drool in large amounts. Of course, this is going to vary from dog to dog (mine drools a bit, although usually not unless he’s begging for food), but for the most part these are pretty tidy guys and gals.

Finally, there’s the Airedale’s short, wiry coat to consider. These dogs shed very little, so they won’t go leaving hair around your house. Especially if you have a good brushing routine in place, you can expect minimal amounts of dog hair to come from your Airedale.

Combining those three factors gives you a dog that’s known for causing some of the lowest levels of allergic reactions — great for households in which that might be a consideration.

Good Guard Instincts

Although they’re not known for it, Airedales had excellent guard instincts. Their ability to perform as a guard dog can be broken down into three areas:

Protective Instinct

If you read my blog, you’ve probably already heard the story of Sammy, the Airedale that my parents had when I was born. When my sister and I were both toddlers, my dad would often leave for multiple nights on work trips, leaving Sammy in charge of protecting the house.

Although he had been given no formal training, he took this role to heart and performed it very seriously. He was suspicious (and sometimes straight up hostile) towards strangers, and he wouldn’t let any non-family member near me or my sister. At the same time, he never extended this aggression towards us, making him the perfect protector.

Alertness

I’ve had one Airedale or another in my house for about 15 years straight now. In that time, I have never been surprised by the doorbell, because as soon as someone steps onto our lawn, my dog starts barking his head off.

Now, he’s not actually doing this to be hostile — my dog just likes to play with people, and he gets excited to meet new friends — but him behaving in such a way has a couple of benefits:

It means that no one will be able to approach the house, via the front door or any other method, without me being aware of it
If someone were to come to the house with hostile intentions, the first thing they noticed would be the 60-pound dog standing at the door barking. If I were a robber, I would go and find another house.

Size and Strength

Now, barking and protective instinct don’t mean a lot if you can’t back it up — but the Airedale can back it up.

Although technically a medium sized breed, these dogs are large, powerful, and built for fighting. They have insanely strong jaws, and their combat instincts have been honed after years of being used for bear hunts. If push ever comes to shove and your Airedale needs to stand up for themselves (or you), you can count on them being able to do so.

What Are Some of the Downsides of an Airedale?

Now, I’ve spent a lot of time hyping up the Airedale in this article (because I love them dearly and I believe they’re excellent dogs), but even I have to admit that they have some drawbacks. If you’re considering getting an Airedale, you should be aware of the following traits:

Stubbornness: This is maybe the trait associated most with the breed. Because of how proud and intelligent they are, Airedales really don’t like listening to commands that they don’t agree with. Because of this, it’s important that you train them properly from a young age, so that you can break them out of the worst of their bad habits.
Destructive nature: When Airedales get bored, they destroy things. This most often takes the form of chewing furniture or digging holes in your back yard, so you need to keep them entertained.
Bad manners: Unless properly socialized as a puppy, Airedales will tend to be suspicious and sometimes hostile towards strangers that they meet.

So, Is the Airedale Right for Me?

Given all of that, it should be pretty clear that an Airedale isn’t the right dog for everyone. If you want a low-maintenance animal that will chill around the house and cuddle with you, I wouldn’t recommend getting an Airedale.

Instead, these dogs are great for people who want a partner if life — someone who’s always happy to play with them and be by their side. However, this engagement is a two-way street; you should only get an Airedale if you’re prepared to put in the effort to keep it entertained.

In terms of size, I would say don’t get an Airedale unless you like a little bit of roughhousing. Like I’ve mentioned, my current Airedale Theo is a big guy, and there’s nothing he loves more than when we chase him around and fight with him. This means that I sometimes get scratched, bitten, or jumped on.

Now, that type of play isn’t for everyone, so I would recommend taking that into consideration before you get an Airedale.

What’s Good About an Airedale? Everything to Love About this Breed!